Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 44 He Must Be Killed
Harlan was a little reserved when he arrived at the council chamber; he was not used to such formal occasions.

On the throne, King Norwick's weakness surprised and even frightened him.

I don't know what caused this king, whom warriors admired, to become so weak.

A man in black robes, wearing a hood, appeared beside King Norwick, obscuring his face beneath the brim.

A flicker of displeasure crossed Harlan's face, but he quickly masked it.

He naturally recognized those black-robed figures who never showed themselves. They were anomalies guarding the main domain, specially trained psionicists who were directly under the jurisdiction of the royal family due to the need for psionic warfare.

"My King!" The champion swordsman knelt on one knee, paying his highest respects to King Norwick in a firm and powerful voice.

"Champion Swordsman, Harlan Oglieve!"

The king's weak voice sounded like a summons, calling upon his guardian knight.

"Can I trust you?"

With just a simple question, Harlan felt an immense weight on his shoulders, as if the entire legacy of the king rested on his back.

"My second oath! I will never betray King Norwick!"

Haran kept his head bowed low, always ready to fight for Nur with his life and to shed blood for King Novik.

"What if I asked you to break the Third Oath, to uphold the First and Second Oaths, and the Guardian Oath you made, to kill Doom?"

boom--

King Norwick's question was like a thunderclap exploding in Harlan's head, making his brain buzz and his nerves in chaos from the explosive information.

The First Oath requires the Night Guard to protect Nur; this is the Guard's original oath, and the entire Night Guard system is built around it.

Doom… The thought of that name brought a pang of bitterness to Harlan’s face. Had King Norwick discovered something and wanted to eliminate him to protect Nur?

"My king... are you sure what you just said?"

The champion swordsman's body was tense, his body inside his power armor soaked in cold sweat, as he asked with difficulty.

Although Harlan's time with Doom was short, he watched his Oathlord grow up, and the two were both teacher and friend, sharing a deep friendship.

Regardless of their relationship, Harlan felt that this issue violated ethical norms.

A father killing his son! Since the establishment of the Guardian Domain, such a terrible sin has never occurred.

Most importantly, Harlan felt that Norwick overestimated himself and underestimated his son.

Such a powerful presence is something comrades should be grateful for; if it were an enemy, fighting with all one's might would ensure that one's own death is not too gruesome.

“I’m sure, Champion Swordsman. If I asked you to kill Doom, what would you do?”

Norwick leaned against his throne, scrutinizing Harlan with a critical eye, awaiting his reply.

"I will fulfill my first and second oaths!" Harlan exhaled a long breath, as if he had used all his strength to make the choice.

Protecting Nur is an overriding, ironclad rule that the Night Guard will never violate!

"Very good, your answer satisfies me."

Having received a satisfactory answer, King Norwick gestured to the psychic master beside him to set up a protective barrier, as he had some absolute secrets to tell the champion swordsman.

"Champion Swordsman, come closer."

While calling out to Harlan, Norwick pressed down on the throne and bowed his head within the psionic barrier, activating the Nur Crystal and opening another layer of dimensional barrier.

Harlan felt a chill run down his spine, as if he were being forced into a huge vortex, and his choice would be crucial.

To his astonishment, King Norwick took out a strange sphere and opened another layer of transparent barrier.

Harlan was certain that the sphere had never appeared in Nur's human civilization. It had a light gray, jade-like texture, and its surface was carved with extremely complex lines, yet it seemed to be a single, seamless piece without any trace of processing.

"We can talk freely now."

As the triple barrier opened, King Norwick's fatigue eased considerably, and a relaxed smile appeared on his face:

"Champion Swordsman, do you believe in gods?"

“I don’t believe it!” Harlan gave a firm answer, almost without hesitation, his tone resolute.

There is no God in the universe!

Humans used a chemical rocket to fly out of the atmosphere for the first time, but after looking around, they couldn't find God.

Harlan's answer brought a knowing smile to King Norwick's face. Not long ago, he too had come to believe that God did not exist in the universe. Indeed, God does not exist in the universe. They reside in the subspace, behind the veil of reality, silently observing all living beings.

“There are gods in this world!” Novick said solemnly, then turned on the throne projection to display Harlan’s physical data.

On the battlefield, he knew every detail of the defense of the main territory; the king's eyes always saw through everything.

“Harlan Oglieve, you should be feeling the changes in your body.”

Faced with the data provided by King Norwick, Harlan opened his mouth, then closed it again.

I didn't know how to refute him. He didn't believe in God, nor did he know what scientific principles could explain his physical abnormalities.

"You are unfortunate, a god has set his sights on you. But you are also fortunate, He values ​​you highly, and God's attention is making you stronger."

Is God always watching over me?

“Look at the defenses I’ve set up,” Novick pointed to the surrounding semi-transparent barrier. “Whose eavesdropping and spying are I protecting against?”

"My king, have you seen the gods with your own eyes?"

Harlan removed his helmet, his tiger-like eyes fixed on his king, earnestly seeking a definite answer.

"They've been talking to me here day and night." Norwick pointed to his head, a slightly disdainful smile on his face—not of Harlan, but of the gods.

"Who do you think caused my miserable state?"

“Then,” Harlan knelt down again, his face filled with icy killing intent, “I am willing to believe in the existence of God, and I will wield my sword against them!”

At this point, most of Harlan's doubts were resolved.

His king was afraid that Doom would be bewitched by the gods, stray from the path of warriors, and even do something absurd that would harm Nur.

"I swear to you! If Doom ever sides with God, I will do everything in my power to kill him!"

The champion swordsman's eyes were resolute, filled with a fearless determination to die. He knew Doom's power, yet he still resolutely swore his oath, with the resolve of a moth drawn to a flame.

"Very good!" Norwick nodded in satisfaction. Harlan's thinking was very clear, and he understood right from wrong.

"Open your mind and let the psychic master hypnotize you, sealing these conversations, promises, and memories, and escaping the gaze of the gods."

"Plant a suggestion deep in your mind, and once Doom goes astray, it will activate these memories, and then you'll know what to do."

"Of course, as a father, I hope that such a thing will never happen."

"This is my final arrangement for you, Champion Swordsman," Norwick explained to Harlan with great effort. He used his wisdom to guide everything and planned out all the contingency plans.

"With the utmost respect and love, I extend my highest respect to you!"

Harlan closed his eyes, gradually lowering his guard, allowing the psychic master to set up the plan in his mind.

He knew that in King Norwick's scheme, he was the last line of defense; he couldn't salvage anything, but he had to do everything in his power to stop the spread of corruption.

The psychic master finished what he was doing. When Harlan regained consciousness, he had forgotten everything that had just happened and knew it was time for him to leave.

Without any explanation, Harlan knew that his memories had been tampered with with his consent when he saw the psionic master standing in front of him.

“King Norwick.” Only the psionic master remained in the room—his voice was dry yet filled with profound wisdom: “I was looking forward to the ending of the story you were leading, but unfortunately I won’t be able to see it.”

"Respect to you, Master of the Psionic Powers. Your deeds may not be remembered, but their impact is profound."

Norwick had the psionic master brainwash him, making him forget everything that happened within the barrier and his own arrangements.

"Goodbye." In the shadow of the master's hood, King Norwick saw a hint of a smile: "May you achieve final victory in your game against the gods."

After he finished speaking, colorful psionic flames erupted from the psionic master's body, and in the stillness of water, his body and soul burned to ashes.

King Norwick solemnly offered his respects, put away the sphere, and removed the multiple barriers.

At the very beginning of the game, some people chose to sacrifice themselves in order to keep the secret.

The brief peace faded, and the decadent sounds of the gods returned, turning my mind into a debate once more.

"The wisdom of mortals, attempting to reverse the game? That ancient artifact has shielded our vision, but it cannot change the outcome."

Success depends on human effort!

(The next plan is the grand expedition that our viewers are eagerly anticipating.)
(I think there will be a third update today, right? Please vote!)

　Hmm, I wanted to write a more ensemble piece, but as a beginner, my writing skills are indeed just average. Progress has been a bit slow. I've been pruning and refining the narrative these past few days, trying to get into the main storyline as soon as possible. I'll write furiously after dinner!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)